Nataline Sarkisyan

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Nataline Sarkisyan
Born	July 10, 1990(1990-07-10)
Died	December 20, 2007 (aged 17) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Student
Parents	Krikor (also spelled Grigor) and Hilda Sarkisyan

Nataline Sarkisyan (Armenian: Նատալին Սարգիսյան) (July 10, 1990–December 20, 2007) was an American teenager with recurrent leukemia, first diagnosed at age 14, who received a bone marrow transplant from her brother Bedros, November 27, 2007. She subsequently developed complications leading to multiple organ failure, including liver and kidney failure.

Ms. Sarkisyan was covered under the insurance company of her parents (either her father, an automotive technician for Mercedez-Benz of Calabasas, California, or her mother who may work for Prudential Real Estate). Physicians informed the family and insurance company, Cigna HealthCare, that patients in a similar situation have a 65% 6 month survival rate after a liver transplant. Dr. John Roberts, chief of the transplant service at UC San Francisco (not the transplant center treating Sarkisyan), stated that his center generally does not accept a patient without a 50% or greater five year survival rate. The chief of the Baylor Regional Transplant Institute in Dallas, Dr. Goran Klintmalm, said this particular operation was a "very high-risk transplant." Dr. Klintmalm did state that he would consider the same operation on a similar patient.^[1]

Cigna HealthCare refused to pay for treatment, citing policy provisions which do not cover services considered experimental, investigational and/or unproven to be safe and/or effective for the patient. ^[2]

Following widespread protests organized by the California Nurses Association, bloggers on the DailyKos Web site led by Eve Gittelson (a.k.a. nyceve), friends and family of Sarkisyan, and members of the Armenian community, Cigna reversed its decision, specifically stating that the coverage was an exception to its general policy, and faxed a statement to the family attorney. The reversal followed a patients' revolt at the CIGNA offices in Glendale, CA. Sarkisyan had been in a vegetative state for three weeks,^[3] and her condition had deteriorated to the point that her family terminated life support before they could be reached. Sarkisyan died a few hours afterwards. ^[4]

CIGNA notes that it had no financial stake in the decision to authorize the transpant because it merely administers the insurance plan of the parent's employer and would not bear the cost of any operation. However, Cigna was offering to pay for the transplant itself when it made the exception to the policy.^[5] The cost of a liver transplant and 1 year of follow-up care was $450,000 in 2005. UCLA declined two livers while waiting for insurance approval from Cigna.^[6]. Ms. Sarkisyan's family was also informed that they could proceed with the transplant if they could make a down-payment of $75,000.

Sarkisyan's family has retained attorney Mark Geragos and plans to sue Cigna, and has requested that Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley file murder charges against the insurer.^[3]

Sarkisyan's family has spoken out at a New Hampshire rally in support of Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign, based on his advocacy of reforming and overhauling the US health care system.^[7]